


Codename Embergo

by jcard5



Category: DCU
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-07 04:25:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18403058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jcard5/pseuds/jcard5





	1. Chapter 1

With a scream “Etativel” she levitates over her enemy. 

“Oh, naive Zatanna your logic is flawed. Ignorance will bring death upon your kind, and it will be your sole doing”. He shoots a beam from his eyes. 

“I don’t know Darkseid, from what I see things are looking a lot better for us than how things look here on Apokolips.” she says as she dodges from his relentless attacks. 

Darkseid screams “Enough you ignorant fool!” he activates a device opening a wormhole. “It’s time for you and your kind to fall. Let's see how you fair when all you are is lost”. With another blast from his Omega eye beam he lands a blow on her which sends her flying into the wormhole Forever to be lost never to be seen or heard from again or so he thought. 

Zatanna incapacitated from Darkseid’s beam and the distorting of light and time from the wormhole. She flew through space as if an out of control speeding rocket hurled itself into an endless drifting ocean of emptiness. She streamed almost faster than light then hurled through another wormhole mouth, crashing onto a large boulder becoming unconscious with the unnerving sound as if dried leaves crushed under a foot. She fades in and out hearing faint voices with blurred visions of black and white. 

“ey...hey...dy... lady” the male voice she hears. Older in age more likely, possibly a light smoker from his deep raspy voice. “Penny Stop we need to get her...” 

the other voice a woman with the tone of a seductress deep, but light and airy “Come on Noah you can’t save her look at her she....” 

“What can you do for her” she heard. 

It was another males voice, this one though had a deeper, yet a much gentler sound with almost no rasp. “It’ll take some time, but I can...”. 

There Zatanna lay on a worn used mattress with a thin gray mangled blanket covering her. Noah carefully entered in with a bowl of hot soup hoping not to disturb her until he accidentally stumbled over a steel pipe startling the girl into alertness. Her arms outstretched already in a defensive stance ready to defend herself. 

“Woah lady calm down” he said, “I'm not going to hurt you I swear”. The man who doesn’t look a day over 35 stands there with a small white bowl in hand. Clothes look worn and torn with a tan jacket average construction worker boots, jeans with the seams barely hanging on by threads and a white shirt. His hair light brown short but matted with thick eyebrows light brown eyes and a beard with minimum effort of maintenance. 

“Where am I” she shouted. 

“It’s okay, you’re safe here this is where I live” she looked around and lowered her guard seeing old and withered concrete walls, rock pillars broken with pipes sticking out from atop, a broken crane able to see through a small window. 

“Finally, the castle I've always wanted” She said sarcastically. 

“Oh, the mysterious Jane doe has jokes” he exclaimed. “what's your name stranger”. Zatanna curiously “Tell me yours first”. 

“Alright there wild fire I'm Nicholas but you can call me Nich and I have the ability to manipulate light”. 

“You have the what now?” she exclaimed. 

“Watch” he sets the bowl on a broken pillar and with a wave of his hand it's as if he brought the night sky’s stars into the room. Floating stars just within hands reach waiting to be grasped. 

“Neat trick, but the name isn’t wild fire, it’s Zatanna I’m a magician”. 

“You mean you do hocus pocus, really?” he said sarcastically. 

“Well I definitely mean to brag but I'm a really good one” she raises both arms then began to chant. Within a blink of an eye she transforms the area they are in into an actual castle full of food and luxury. 

“Wow definitely not just a good one. How is this even possible?” he said surprised. Without Zatanna’s knowledge there were more people within the building, and they hear a woman screams “Nich! What’s going on!”. 

“who is that?” Zatanna asked. 

“Well now’s about as good of a time as any for you to meet the others?”. She lowered her spell “Others?”. 

They walked down the corridor into a room at the end where a faint fire light illuminated the room to three figures. 

“Nich what the hell just happened One-minute I'm making some more food for us then all of a sudden there’s carpets and drapes and I swear there was a turkey that I smelled” The woman hystarically. 

Reassuringly Nich told her “Penny it's okay that was the work of our new friend here”. 

The woman penny had large lion like hair with the red color to match and the large build of someone who stays fit but not overboard. Her outfit made from clothing scrapes found around old dump sites presumably stared at Zatanna in shock and confusion. 

“what do you mean? What kind of ambrr can do that?” Penny said 

Zatanna in confusion asks penny “what’s an ember?” 

Another shadow from the back stands and makes its way closer, but this one much shorter almost the height of a child. Upon exiting the dark the sight of an actual child came into view. A bowl cut of dark hair with round thin metal glasses starts speaking in a high yet mature tone. “Actually, miss it’s pronounced amber like the resin only spelled ever so slightly differently” the kid has a unique demeaner to him as if he knows more than his size let’s on\ 

“ok so what’s an amberr” Zatanna restates. 

They all chuckle for a few seconds until they notice that Zatanna’s facial expression hasn’t changed. 

“is she for real. She might have amnesia” A fourth figure speaks from the back of the room still hidden. 

Penny exclaims “Well if she didn’t it would be surprising from how we found her” Zatanna looked puzzled after a few seconds her sudden realization of what happened prior to gaining her injuries. “Darkseid!” she realizes. 

The others just look at her “what?”. 

Zatanna begins to say in a rushed tone “I thank you all for your hospitality, but there's something I really need to do right now” she raises her hands “etaerc latrop hguohrt emit dna ecaps ot dieskrad” but nothing happens. She Repeats her spell again, yet the same result occurs. 

“Excuse me miss may I ask what you are trying to do”. 

“well kid I'm trying to create a portal to Darkseid. My friends are in danger and I can’t just leave them there.”. 

“Ok first I am not a kid I’m not a kid I’m thirteen. Secondly what’s a darkseid” James said . 

“well big man he's a monstrous being and the ruler of a planet called apkolips and right now he’s about to take over a new planet unless we can stop him”. 

The shrouded figure in the back exclaims.” Well it looks like she got something worse than amnesia. Listen lady I don’t know who you are, but around here we don’t have any time to take care of druggies so go back to whoever you were with before and forget that we ever met.”. 

Zatanna In dismay” listen this is very real threat, and if you don’t understand that then it's very possible that he can come here and easily take over.”. 

The figure rushes towards her in intimidation, yet she hardly flinches. The man is large with absurdly strong features for any person, also with a mane except this one white as snow and enough heat radiating from him it could make any other person sweat. “Listen here Girly I ain’t gonna let someone like you keep rambling on about your fantasies and what not trying to scare us about things like darkpies or whatever so I suggest you leave now before something bad happens” the room is filled with tention enough to scare everyone into trying to calm down the situation 

Nich trying to calm down the situation “Okay, okay let’s all take a break here James take john outside and you to penny I'll see what our friend here means by what she’s talking means by all this.”. The others leave although It was difficult to remove the hulking man. As soon as Nicholas and Zatanna were about to speak they hear a commotion outside of crashing and thrashing with grunts. “Just ignore john he has an extremely short temper compared to 99% of humanity”.


	2. The Night

“Who does she think she is. After we literally just saved her life, she comes in here spouting who knows what and tries doing magic. Ha give me a break.” John paces back and forth occasionally slamming his fist into old abandoned boats and crates. 

James talks in a calmer tone” Look man, I know that we don’t even know her, and it feel like she’s used us to just get better, but we have to give her a chance. I don’t really see why you mad though we don’t even know the miss’s name.”. The words don’t seem to be seeping into his head. 

Penny trying to calm the situation “It’s alright James just let him blow of some steam. We'll talk to him after”. A few hours pass and John seems to be cool enough for some rationality to be reintroduced to the behemoth of a man. 

“I just hope u didn’t attract their attention” Penny says. 

John in a regretful but positive manner “Sorry I guess I really wasn’t thinking straight.”. 

In the near distance a strong rustle happens that puts the three members on edge. Penny in a low tone “Lets head back inside.” all three enter back into the doorway with light footsteps. Quickly the team hide traces of any signs of living. 

“you guys tell those two that we may have company I'll go and scout to see if it's true. If I'm not back in 15 be on alert.”. in the blink of an eye she transforms into a creature of knight that easily slips through cracks. In rat form she can move around without someone looking. The other two rush towards Nicholas and Zatanna, and immediately tells them of the situation. Nicholas puts both hands together, and a very faint small aura surround all in the room. In a lowered tone Nich says” this will make it difficult for anyone to spot us just keep your voice low so they can’t pick up voices, 

Zatanna I have a better idea” she whispered “tel rehto hcae raeh ruo seciov”. “Okay now only we can hear each other so we don’t need to whisper” the others don’t seem to trust her other than Nich. 

“okay thank you” he replied. The others look at Nicholas with distain as they don’t believe what she says. A few minutes pass by and penny walks through the door back in her human form into the room. 

“Aww are the big guys scared of a little lady like me” Penny remarks. Zatanna and Nicholas remove their cloaking devices. 

John remarks “We all know that you aren’t a lady”. The others laugh at his remark except Zatanna. Penny smacked john’s arm as he passes the doorway in a jokingly manner. 

“So, what made all that noise” James asked. 

Penny replies” Well im glad you asked, it turns out that dinner came to us tonight, so we are going to have Rabbit stew!”. 

As everyone gathers around the fire Zatanna asks “So can I ask what we are hiding from”. All took a small pause in what they were doing. 

“You really don’t know miss do you” James replies. She shakes her head in response. “Well what we are hiding from is the union. Its this group of people that hunt people like us down to dissect us for” he said in a mocking tone “The betterment of humanity”. 

She asks, “What exactly do you mean”. 

James continues “In short they think that there is a genetic code that gives us our gifts so thinking that we are expendable the find us and use us. It doesn’t matter where you come from or what they had to do to get you the excuse they used would be it's for the betterment of everyone. What a joke. It’s awful there. You lose everything that you are, lose track of days, begin to feel numb, begin to lose hope.”. It’s uncomfortably silent in the room, all of their faces are looking down as if seeing something that no one else saw. “What they send after our kind are drones that locate us then send a signal like a tracker then within minutes the rest of them arrive. 

Penny trying to change the subject “well guys it looks like the soup is done time to eat.”. then as if the environment wasn’t completely different earlier, they all had smiles and began to eat. Zatanna Didn’t want to press them further so she just began to eat with them, but she still sat and contemplated on who everyone really is and why her portal didn’t work. Since she awoke it is noticeable that she cannot perform her magic's as spectacularly as she has before. It’s as if something seems to be draining her so slowly that it goes unrecognized. As if a Leech clung to her and is now preparing to make a meal out of her. 

The extremely eventful night persisted as the members ask their new guest about her life, where she came from and the like. No strong problems arose from the questioning, nor serious questions were asked. The social only allowed for everyone to grow towards one another in companionships with the trading of laughs, stories, and life experiences. For a moment peace drove itself into this space of strangers. It was time for all to get some rest except Zatanna, she volunteered to stay watch over the night as she has been resting for a while although john is still skeptical, he allows it. The group of four enter another room down the hall and Zatanna begins to walk the grounds. 

“What is happening with me maybe if I try and open the portal again it might work this time”. She begins to chant again, yet there is still no reaction. “Why do I feel so drained? I’ve slept and I have even eaten so the portal should be opening right now. Something must be blocking the magic here then.”. She continues to ponder over her seemingly waning power. She then casts a spell that locates the source of her waning magic “ wosh em eht melborp”. The location of what is messing with magic seemed to be the entire area not just a specific location, more like a planet. Confused zatanna returns to gather her thoughts to decipher what it could mean that the planet itself could be the problem. In a short distance she hears something like a police siren. She is in a strange place, but still understands the signs of potential danger to people. “Etativel” Zatanna arises from the ground and begins to fly towards the commotion until her realization that she would be abandoning her posts strikes her with fear of what could potentially happen to her new acquaintances while she's away. Torn between what would could happen to them or someone in need of help she heads towards the noise anyway. 

It’s a few blocks away when she notices a standoff of police officers and a woman holding a man hostage. The women held a knife to the man's throat crying hysterically “Do you know what he’s done to me. He deserves to die”. 

The officers try to calm down the situation, but it doesn’t seem like they are making any headway. In a split decision Zatanna starts to cast a spell to transform the weapon into flowers until she was interrupted by a crow flying and knocking itself into Zatanna Repeatedly. “Get away from me I'm trying to.” with that last word it was too late for her as the woman sliced the man's neck having red flow and stain the street. In utter shock Zatanna stays stagnant in the air just watching as the man's body falls. The crow seemed to stay there with her just fluttering its wings to keep a float with her. All around seemed to slow down as the woman drops her knife and the policemen tackle her to the ground. The crow flies down to the ground onto a Nearby tree zatanna’s eyes glaring at the animal, and as the leaves shake a familiar feminine figure drops down from the branches. In recognition of who it is zatanna flies down in anger, but as soon as she lands and is about to shout at her for allowing someone to die Penny covers her mouth and drags Zatanna to a secluded ally. 

Zatanna screamed “Let go of me!” Penny released Zatanna. “Why would you stop me from trying to save that man”. 

Penny Trying to be empathetic “Listen Z I know you aren’t from around here so this whole super hero thing is what you do but you can't do that here or they’ll catch you”. 

Zatanna in a slightly lower tone” So you would rather let people die to protect yourselves than at least help them”. 

At this point penny is slightly infuriated with Zatanna “Listen this may not the lifestyle your accustomed to but here its survival so I would rather feel bad and live to be with the people I care about than to absently throw my life away as some heroic act for someone who doesn’t even know me”. In a visual standoff the women stood in silence until one spoke” Come on Z let's get back before the others notice. The women in silence began to walk back. 

” How did you even know where I was?” Zatanna asked. “Well Z after we all went to the room it had been a while and I went out to ask if you were gonna sleep at some point so I could set up a space for you, and I Noticed you weren’t around. Then I heard the sirens and from the stories you told us I figured you that’s where you would be.”


	3. A True Being

The pair continued into the night until reaching their mutual destination “So I guess I’ll ask now. Are you going to head to bed anytime soon?” Zatanna just shakes her head and watches as Penny returns to the room from the main area. In the room the others still lay awake. 

“Well P what happen with the chick” john said. 

“She isn't going to come with us, we had a little bit of an incident, so we took a little longer than expect but it's alright guys. I think she learned the hard way of what we are all actually like”. Back in the main lobby Zatanna sat on a pile of wood and slowly drifted into a surprise slumber. 

It’s the next morning and all are up from the room. “poor girl I guess whatever happened to you to last night took a bit of a toll on her.” Nich stated. “ 

You can say the” penny muttered. The new day arrived, and all decided it was time to venture out into the world to find whatever resources anyone could find for the night. In agreement the 4 members decided that nich would take zatanna with him if she was willing and depending on if she is okay would introduce her to a fifth figure if not wait on an opportunity to present her to them. 

“Good morning Z. wakey wakey eggs and bakey” Nicholas quietly. She began to wake to a scorching bright sun glaring through all the windows in the building as if the sun were right outside the windows. “Oh yeah let me get that for you”. With a swift motion Nicholas had adjusted the light of the room so that Zatannas eyes could adjust accordingly. “How are you feeling their Z”. She gains control of her bearings with facial expressions that show her in both confusion, but in acceptance. 

“yeah; I think I'm just a little blown away by this place”. 

Nicholas as genuine as he can “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened last night”. She glances over him with concern looking up and down then uttering the words 

Zatanna recounted “I went out to see what the world here was like, and I just couldn’t save someone right in front of me”. 

Nich looks at here with sorrow and attempts to comfort her “Look Z you aren’t able to save everyone. Especially in a place like this, so I'll tell you to try and lay low because you don’t understand what people here are capable of”. 

Zatanna looks at him with slight anger in her facial expression. “I know exactly what I can do Nicholas. If she hadn’t had stopped me, I could have saved him.” 

Nicholas in confusion. "Who do you mean by her?”. 

Zatanna with hesitation “Well Penny stopped me. There was a man being taken as hostage, and she was in a crow form and was blocking my vision”. Nicholas sat in silence as he showed emotion not of anger, but more of disappointment. 

“Come with me I need to show you something” he asks. Zatanna agrees and follow him to the undisclosed location. 

(The pairing venture outside of the abandoned dock into the nearby city. Buildings seemed to have stood for many years with large whethering ocurring on most buildings. Even the newer buildings have chips cracks and graffiti. Streets clean, no litter within sight, hardly and trash or strange stains on concrete. The sky not a complete blue, but more of a faint purple with the sun shining brightly with a strong orange. The streets filled with people as if walking down New York’s time square with constant motion.) 

“What are we doing walking in the City Nich, wouldn’t this be one of the things this little crew wouldn’t want to be doing. Walking in broad daylight where the whoever's can get us”. 

Nich laughs and gives Zatana a smirk. “Listen Z I know some of the things we do here are a little contradicting but trust me where we are going there is no point in hiding it”. The two walked down streets taking turns passing by multiple people creating short conversation. They Come to a point in which they both stand outside of a tall building probably about 20 stories tall. Enough to a point where looking straight up can hurt someones neck. 

“Alright Z we are going to the Top.” 

Zatanna confirms with a head nod. “What I mean by that Z is I was kinda hoping you could do some of that bippity boppity boop. 

Zatanna chuckles “First of all Its Alakazam and secondly”. 

She begins to chant “tropelet ot eht pot” then instantly they both are on the top of the building while at the same time Nich Seems to have gotten a little stomach ache from the travel. 

Nich then begins to confirm that he is alright and then points to the door entrance to the rooftop. “That is where we need to go, but I need you to understand from that point on you need to let me take lead for now. Who we are about to meet is the most important person that is involved in our little group. Zatanna nods in confirmation. From that point nicholas opens the door, but instead of there beings a staircase leading down it is as if he had opened a doorway into the sky. In hesitation Zatanna seems concerned, but Nicholas reaches out his hands and has an invitation for Zatanna to grab on. She then grabs it and the walk into the Dream like area past the doorway. They Don’t dare take any more steps than about three then Nicholas stands still looking into the abyss of fuzzy clouds than screams. “David” with a sudden blink of an eye the world that they walked into seemed to have disappeared into this room of white. The walls are clearly seen as walls and a figure stands up from inside the place. A Seemingly average heighted man with Dirty blonde hair, and bright hazel eyes with skin as colored as the perfect piece of toast straight from the toaster. In an exited tone the voice was very average, not to monotone but something that can be easily dissolved within a crowd “Oh my! Is that really you Nichi” the figure running towards Nicholas with arms stretched. They go into each other's arm and have a long and warm embrace that lasts for a very long time. Strangely enough as they hug Zatanna watches and feels a sense of comgort as she remembers her own warm embrace of someone that she has had feelings for before. Bach in whatever area they are at. She longs to return but understands that these people from another land deserve to have comfort of their own. The two-hugging break off and place each other's forehead onto one another.


	4. A New Beginning

The pair separate and hold each other closely by the hands. “So, Z this is the important person I was talking to you about. His Name is Daniel and so happens to be the someone who is very close to my heart”. 

Daniel turns to face Zatanna. “Hi there Z, I hope that this man hasn’t caused you too much trouble. 

“I'm afraid he is more trouble than he looks. And my whole name is Zatanna.” 

The man chuckles.” Yeah I sure do know it”. 

Nicholas intervenes. “okay enough talking about me as much as I love that topic I have to ask you something D. 

Daniel a little alarmed by the response. “Woah, okay what is it nichi”. 

”Well D See Zatanna has come from somewhere else like a dimension or a world or something so I was wondering if you could do the thing you do to help us figure out how we can help her get back to where she belongs. 

“Oh well okay I'll see what I can do”. Daniel let’s go of Nichola’s hands and walks towards Zatanna. “can I see your hands?” With Acceptance Zatanna pushes her hands out in front of Daniel which he then grabs around the wrist. Then she relives the moments that first began this epic journey. Seeing herself fighting darkseid to stall for time as her allies close in on the situation. She repeats the moment she gets blasted and can almost relive the pain she is in only slightly. Then the flurry of lights while she is transported through the wormhole. As she gets closer to the end of the wormhole, she sees faint memories as if her body understood that this would be the last time she would be alive. Throughout the journey through space and time one word stood out to her “Embergo”. Then a Flash of white lights that return her to her current situation. Daniel then seems to try and understand the situation that Lead to Zatanna’s appearance in their world. 

With Daniels power he has Zatanna relive the moments and reads back to her what he saw “So, you were basically fighting like some sort of god then he teleported you here for some reason instead of just finishing you off?”. 

Zatanna in a puzzled tone. “What do you mean by finished me off”. 

Daniel Startled at what he even just said tried to re state what he meant. “Well I mean if you were on the verge of destroying an enemy why would you want them to be alive in some other place. That just seems like a hassle. Like I'm glad that you are alive and all, I just mean that there are better ways to handle that situation”. 

Zatanna uncomfortable with having been evaluated changed the subject. “is there anything that you can tell me that can help me get back to my place”. “Well I Did understand that how you got here was not through any kind of like magic or power. It was through this strange technology. So the only place I know where you could maybe find something that can help you since your magic is depleting here is the research place that holds all us ambrr”. 

Nicholas while watching this exchange gains this fearful tone. “What do you mean there”. 

Daniel speaking to Nicholas “We’ll Nich she didn’t arrive through any supernatural means; this was technology that got her here. Although it seemed very foreign it was definitely numbers that got her here so that’s the place that you all need to take her”. 

Nicholas looked at Daniel in utter shock as if he had seen a ghost. “Is that really the only place that has this stuff D. I’m sure another place has similar tech”. 

Daniel trying to reassure Nicholas.”Nich this place is where it has that kind of tech”. 

In puzzlement Nich just stood there motionless for a few seconds then regaining his composure went into this state of determination. “We need to talk about this with the others Z because this is all Daniel can do for now”. She nods in acceptance then nicholas motions for her to exit through the doorway. Daniel and Nicholas end the encounter with another long and comforting hug. Then the room fades into this dark lavender mist. extremely different from the pure white clouds that began the encounter. Even with a different atmosphere. Almost menacing. 

Then Zatanna and Nicholas exit back onto the rooftop then wait a few minutes before Nicholas opens up the door again, and to Zatanna’s surprise it was a normal staircase that lead down. 

Nicholas explains “See Daniel is a special person. He has the ability that resembles a seer from those fairytales, but only he can manipulate them in different ways.”. 

The pair then head down each one of the flights of stairs from the top ending at the bottom. With the mysterious aura that Nicholas had, both headed back to the place where the group lived to discuss what exactly is happening, and what needs to be done.


	5. A Question

They enter the groups home and nich is on the search for the other members. Zatanna stays within the main room waiting for the others. 

He calls out “Hey where is everyone at we need to talk.” 

The rooms remain silent until someone returns a holler “I’ll be right there”. The voice was penny 

She came into the main room with a new style of something straight out of a magazine. A Pink blouse with medium length arm trails such as medieval times, and a long tail that reaches her knees. Long sleek black pants and some black chunky heeled boots. Her hair still roaring as always just with more curls within them. Zatanna looks at her astonished at the transformation astonished and walks up to her. 

“Hey there lovely what is this. You look great!”. 

Penny blushes from the response and thanks zatanna for her compliment. 

“Yeah I just felt like dressing up today for the hell of it”. 

Nich enters the conversation cutting in on their talk “Yeah, yeah you look great but I'm still here so you’re the second prettiest person here. Anyway, where are John and James”. 

Penny replies with a smile. “Oh, they went out a while ago to get some supplies the will be back in a few minutes. Why what happened when you went to see David?”. 

Nicholas responds “Well that’s what I need to talk to you all about, but I need you all here, so we’ll just wait till the others get back. 

Penny with a slight concern in her voice “Well if you need all of us it must be kind of serious”. 

Nicholas nods in response. So, with accepting to wait on the others penny asks questions about David 

“How is he I haven’t seen him in so long? Has he grown at all? Is he still as cute as a button ha ha?” she asks enthusiastically 

Nicholas is monotone in his response “He is doing alright. He seems about the same as before so not much has changed.” The other two members James and John enter the front door and as the people already inside the building look at them carrying in 2 paper bags full of canned goods. 

Penny screams with delight towards the boys “Oh, yes! Finally, I can make something. I am starving!” 

James jokingly “Um Excuse me did someone leave a lady with us Nich and where is penny.” 

Penny strikes at James harshly, but not enough to hurt him “Excuse me! John what have you been teaching our little man.” 

John replies “What, the kid just wants to learn some jokes is all.” 

Penny grabs the bags aggressively “Try those jokes again see what happens. The both of you.” 

Before she can walk off Nicholas catches her “Wait we all need to talk” 

All of them look at him and begin to do a circling formation around him 

He begins “Okay, So when I went to go see David about Z.” Nicholas was cut off by John 

“Oh yeah David how is the main man” 

Nicholas says abruptly “He’s fine.”. then he begins to continue “He gave us a lead on how to get Z back to her world, but it isn’t going to b pretty guys.” The small crowd sat in silence as they wait for Nich to continue. "He basically told us that the best shot we got at returning her is at Baticah. Now I know that.” Before he could get in any more words The trio begin to state their opinions very quickly starting with Penny. 

“No. I am not going back to that hell hole I'm sorry. That is too much you are asking of us”. Then it led to john 

“Like Hell I'm going to put my life on the line for her. She can go in herself” James sat their quiet with his head down emitting a despairing aura that had the room feel disheartened. 

Nicholas Trying to regain control of the others “Ok I understand that this place isn’t the Disneyland that you all expected, but if we don’t do something then Z is stuck here and she won’t be able to rescue the people that she needs to back in her world. Remember when we were able to get David back after they took him, and how great it felt to have him back.” The two look down in guilt while James hasn’t moved from his position. “That’s what Z’s friends are trying to have, and I am damn sure that they are working on trying to figure out where she is right now.” None of them look up at them. Nicholas Continues “Please guys I know we’ve been through a lot so i'm just pleading with you can you help me to get her back”. Penny and John Look at nich then put their gaze upon Zatanna. 

She Also chimes in “I know I really don’t know any of you, but can I please have you help me this once”. Zatanna gaze goes from John then to Penny to which they make eye contact for an extended period. John and Penny look at each other in defeat then turn towards James 

Penny asks him “So big guy what’s it gonna be”James for a moment stays still then Lift’s his head.


End file.
